


The reason for this is to ensure there is an electrical connection between the side wall and the lid (this is essential for EMC Shielding). The aluminum side wall is anodized on the outside surfaces but the grooves are left natural. The lid is currently a stainless steel plate which runs through the groove and in contact with the sidewall. The aluminum sidewall has grooves running the length of the part. We are designing an electronic enclosure which has Aluminum Extruded Side walls. I have a question regarding the appropriate choice between zinc plated steel and stainless steel part when in contact with aluminum. ↓ Closely related postings, oldest first ↓ Thank you for your reply and advice, it's much appreciated. But those little screws are not the cause of broad swaths of oxidation that's just a normal thing that happens to aluminum over time).

You can't use stainless screws in critical aerospace applications for example. (Note to purists: this is not to say that there are no galvanic issues between stainless steel and aluminum. Further, zinc plated screws won't last and will soon rust as they have in the past.Īfter you are done with whatever screw replacement you are going to do, the bare aluminum can be buffed to remove the oxidation and restore the shine, and a clearcoat like Everbrite can be sprayed or brushed over both the bare and painted areas. The stainless screws are fine, and are used all the time in similar situations, and not the cause of the oxidation. The rusting screws will continue to rust, so it would be best to replace them. We love the caravan and its family history so are keen to keep it going as long as possible.Ī. There are still quite a few rusty steel screws in place which would need to drill out and many stainless steel screws which seem ok.ĭo I need to remove all the screws and replace them? If so what with? I am keen to rub the caravan down and repaint it but want to address the oxydising issues first as best as I can.
WILL ZINC PLATED BOLTS RUST WINDOWS
There are no water leaks I can find and all the timber framework is dry as seen when windows and vents have been replaced. The oxydising isn't particularly around the screw areas but spread out over the panels. Over the years my father replaced a good percentage of rusting steel screws with stainless steel ones and whilst the screws are still ok the aluminium isn't.
WILL ZINC PLATED BOLTS RUST SKIN
I've noticed that there are getting more signs of oxydising on the aluminium skin and I'm wondering if its the screws causing this? It's always been barn stored when not in use. We use it a lot and it's in great condition. I have a 1977 painted aluminium clad caravan that was my late father's. What screw material for aluminum caravan? What about when the dissimilar metals are in direct contact? I oiled the threads, but I'm sure there's some fraction of surface area that's not covered by oil.Faded siding or trim? Everbrite might fix it without repainting My understanding is that anytime you have dissimilar metals bridged by an electrolyte, that's a battery and the metals will corrode. My guess is that I should be ok since oil is not very conductive, but I'm not very confident in that guess. My concern is that now I may have a risk of corrosion between the aluminum block and the studs, which have exposed steel since the machining with the die removed the oxidation coating. So I took a little off with a die and then installed the studs with a little oil. I don't have a thread micrometer, so I can't say exactly how oversized they were, but I wasn't going to get them in without a breaker bar (even then it's a maybe). I bought some ARP head studs, which didn't quite fit. Looking for some chemistry expertise/experience here.
